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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Yesterday morning, I got up early and went for an awesome walk with Mom. We went through the fields behind her house, up to the fields next to the interstate. It was a great walk, and I didn't overdo it. We planted the phlox that Jeremy and I gave her for her birthday and got some plants watered.

For lunch, we made a killer juice. It was my favorite by far! Beets, carrots, apples, celery, cucumber, ginger, and cranberries! Very filling. Mom made some coleslaw while I started on the hummus. It was SOOOO tasty.

Place all items in a food processor and blend until smooth. ENJOY!You can add anything at all to enhance the hummus, sundried tomatos, fire roasted peppers, roasted garlic, olives, etc.

I covered work for about 45 minutes while people had training, then was off with Jeremy to pick up my fishing license at his sisters and go fishing! On our way home from his sisters we almost hit a moose! It was getting ready to walk into the road and I screamed at Jeremy to stop. It just stood in the road adn looked at us before turning around walking away. Just down the little slope into the field was its baby.

While at the river, Jeremy jumped out of his skin when a beaver slapped the water. He told me it sounded like a kid doing a canonball, when we heard it again not 5 minutes later.

With all the fun and all the animals, the one thing we never saw was a fish. Better luck next time!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Yesterday before going shopping with Mom, I took part in the March for Babies. It was a 5.2 mile walk and it left my legs feeling like jello! I haven't walked farther than a half a mile for several months now, it felt so good to be so active. I was sore the next day though! I only raised $20 but it was better than nothing, and it was a great cause. March for BabiesFind more Walks in Randolph Center, Vermont

Then today, after work, I decided to go for a bike ride. I have really missed biking, but I bit off a pretty big challenge! I decided to bike from home, down in town, up to Mom's. The ride is only about 4.75 miles or so, but within a half a mile of leaving my apartment, it is all up hill till I hit VTC. Then I get about quarter of a mile downhill to Mom's.Home to MomsFind more Bike Rides in Randolph, Vermont

I probably stopped 15 times going up the hill, it really pushed me beyond my limits, but I did it! I can't wait to get out and bike again, however, I think I will select a few milder rides before I attempt Route 66 again!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

I got two different gift certificates to Dandelion Acres for my birthday, $55!!! I was super excited to go down and spend money on something I really wanted. I wasn't sure what I was wanting, but realized that hanging planters for the living room was really going to help my living room become cohesive. Mom and I spent a lot of time looking at the different styles of hanging planters, putting them side by side, and here is what we came up with!This is planter number one. This is planter number two.This is the last planter.I bought the different sizes with the plants that are in them in mind. Here is what they look like hanging together.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Tonight was my birthday dinner up at Mom's. It was fantastic! We had filet mignon on the grill with sauteed onions and mushrooms, baked potatoes and a killer salad. The meal was ended with angel food cake, strawberries, and vanilla ice cream.Joe and Mel were there, and they got me this really neat watering can planter with cala lily bulbs! I cannot wait to get it planted and watch it grow. I love all types of lilys so it couldn't have been more perfect.I got money from Lynda, which is always a hit, and a hilarious card!The best came from Mom. There was a print titled Cape Cod Summer with a mermaid and an octopus entwined hanging on the wall at the cottage on the Cape that I have always loved.

My cousin Launi and I both wanted it, so it was decided to leave the print at the cottage. As much as we both wanted it, we knew to be fair, neither of us should have it. For the past 3 years I have been looking online trying to find the print; a couple of months ago I actually found it! It is done by Winnie Fitch, and while it is a poster, and not an original print, it is still amazing. My mom got it mounted on a board with a black border and I have it hanging in my living room as I type! I was super stoked. It evokes such memory and emotion for me.

Launi's birthday is coming up, and Mom had an identical one made for her! I can't wait until she gets it. It should be soon as Mom already mailed it to her.

Monday, April 20, 2009

I much prefer almond butter to peanut butter, although both are wonderful. There is a company called Barney Butter that makes almond butter from almonds grown within 20 miles of their facility. They don't process other nuts, making them a safe almond butter for someone who might be allergic. I heard about them through EatLiveRun.com.When I visited the site, I found that I could order a sample! This almond butter was creamy, smooth, and super tasty. I cannot wait to order some to have at home!

I am nearing the end of my fall semester, and while the work load is not heavy, I am feeling it weigh on me as I find myself wanting to be outside more.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

All week long I have felt like I have been left out of enjoying the sun, getting my hands dirty, and really enjoying spring. Not this weekend!I got the car cleaned, inside and out, which felt so good since it hasn't been done since before winter. While I cleaned my car out, Jeremy helped Mary at the carwash and earned a few bucks which was nice.Then, today, I got to play in the dirt. Mary decided to dig up an old garden that had been over run with weeds. There were some big nasty roots from trees that were sending out root babies, and it took a lot of shoveling and yanking to get them out, but when we did, she has a nice beginning to a new garden. She is hoping to fill it with lots of different vegetables, and a few flowers.Oh yeah, and we spent several hours shooting guns. I was super excited about how accurate I was with both the 22 and the 30-30. I am really looking forward to taking Hunter Safety and being able to go hunting hopefully this coming fall.

With so much spring in the air, it is the perfect time to announce the new life that has crept into existence!

I can't wait to find out if it is a boy or a girl, although I am really pushing for a girl.

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WE HAVE A BABY CHICK! Mom has a chicken that has been sitting on a few eggs for a while now. At least one egg broke, 3 eggs either were never fertilized or got too cold when she got off the nest one day, but there was one little egg. One egg was fertilized, never got too cold, and was ready to meet the spring.It's little cheep cheep cheeps were so cute, and while Mom was struggling with how to handle food and water, it was so busy exploring its little home. In the past, when chicks come through the mail, she always picked up the chicks and one by one dipped their beaks into the water and food. She wasn't sure if she should do that, if the chick would figure out how to eat and drink on its own. Moments later, after watching the mama chicken eat and drink, the little chick was drinking water and eating food. It was amazing to watch the chick learn to eat and drink without human help.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

My plants are all starting to look so good. One of my trays of lettuce got too tried out, there was water in the bottom, just not enough. Other than that, I have mesclun mix looking vibrant and yummy. My roma tomatoes are starting to poke up, moved them to a more well lit spot. My heirlooms have been moved into the living room to get more natural light. The peppers and eggplants have a little bit to go as they were started later than the tomato plants were.I am getting so excited to be putting things into the ground, making use of what we do get, and knowing what works well and what doesnt. Out of the tray of heirloom tomatos, only 2 seeds that I planted didn't grow!!!

I am going to try to take a picture with my phone when I get home, see how it turns out :-)

I have been trying to eat a healthier diet as of late, and my new FAVORITE snack has become Chobani greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey. It is creamy and yummy! I have also fallen back in love with the peanut butter and banana snack. The things that you grow up with, and forget about!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

This weekend was spent house sitting at Mom and Lynda's while they went to the Cape. They had the dogs, so it was a matter of keeping the kitties and horses fed, and making sure the chickens got in each night.Jeremy and I had planned to try to get the garden beds weeded and turned and ready for planting, along with a load or two of manure to each location. That got waylaid when we decided to muck out one of the horses run-ins. During the winter, Cupcake gets closed into the run-in because Iris bullies her away from her food. Between the snow and freezing, it is difficult to clean out daily, so in the spring, Mom mucks it out, laying lime, sand, and fresh sawdust.Since the run-in was where we were taking the manure from, we decided to just keep going and muck out the entire space. It took us a little over 2 hours to clean out, lime, and sand. Mom said she would get sawdust when she got home to put down.After hoeing out, before lime and sand.

Today, we were supposed to tackle the garden beds, but with the temperature in the 20's and SNOW, it has to wait for a bit warmer of a day.

We celebrated April birthdays yesterday at Dad's and had a great meal. Spent some time with Jeremy's sister and her kids, and didn't make it home (Mom's) to go to bed till midnight! It was a late night, and I am glad we stopped at Mom's before we went to his sisters to feed the animals.

Today was brunch with Jeremy's parents at The Steakhouse on the Barre-Montpelier Road in Barre. The food was ok, nothing great. Then we had an awesome Sunday drive home.

In sauce pan, melt butter and olive oil and add mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Saute till brown and soft, season with salt and pepper. Pull the mixture off of the stove and place into food processor and blend with one cup of hot water and bouillon cubes. Meanwhile, toss the beef with the flour and add to the pan to heat through. Add the pureed mixture to the beef, add 2 cups more water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add in the sour cream, and mix with the noodles. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve!

I puree the vegetables as I really like the flavor of mushrooms, but have not been able to get past the texture of them. If you dont want to puree, don't, won't hurt my feelings!

Next time I would omit the flour and use 1-1 1/2 cups less of water, and up the mushrooms and the onions and the garlic. I would also add fresh parsley at the end.

Thanks to Katy I took the Meyers-Briggs personality test again. After reading how she has grown and changed since then, and finding that her results were the same, I was intrigued as to how I have or have not changed.

In high school, I was an ENFP. ENFPs are initiators of change who are keenly perceptive of possibilities, and who energize and stimulate through their contagious enthusiasm. They prefer the start-up phase of a project or relationship, and are tireless in the pursuit of new-found interests. ENFPs are able to anticipate the needs of others and to offer them needed help and appreciation. They bring zest, joy, liveliness, and fun to all aspects of their lives. They are at their best in situations that are fluid and changing, and that allow them to express their creativity and use their charisma.

Today, when I took the test, I have changed. I am now an ESFP, which is only one letter difference, but a pretty substantial difference.

ESFPs are friendly, outgoing, fun loving and naturally drawn to people. They are quite enthusiastic and exuberant, and are usually well liked by others. They are good at meeting people and helping them enjoy themselves. They are sympathetic toward people and generous with their time and money. At their best, they are able to realistically meet human and situational needs in a fun and lively way.

Part of me is really surprised at the change, as the description of an ENFP seems to fit me really well. Part of me is not surprised as I seem to fit the ESFP description as well.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

After a slow day of doing nothing, I ended up not making dinner tonight! We ate at Jeremy's sisters so the beef stroganoff is going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Last night, or should I say early early this morning, I didn't hit they hay till almost 2am. Not something I should have done, but we got sucked into the show Intervention. It made for a rough morning, early afternoon, as I didn't get out of bed till about 12:15. I havent slept in like that in over a year and the last time I was SICK SICK SICK.

I have been left feeling overly lethargic with an unusually low lack of motiviation. I think I will be off to bed early tonight, so that I can get up and feel good to go to work tomorrow. I know how important sleep is to my health, but I had forgotten how important until today.

I have found a new favorite snack! A plain Chobani drizzled with honey. The thickness of greek yogurt is so much more satisfying than the thin oozy yogurts I grew up with. Greek yogurt also has a bit more tang to it which I find I enjoy more than the sickly sweet of light yogurts.

Monday, April 06, 2009

After last nights awesome roast beef dinner, I had to come up with something to do with the leftovers. I have plans for the roast beef, tomorrow night it will be turned into some sort of beef stroganoff!

Tonight I made a pasta dish with the left over broccolini and sweet potato.

The pasta water was put in, and in the meantime; I cut up and lightly sauteed the left over sweet potato, and set it aside. I had a chicken sausage in the fridge which I sliced up and put in the pan to warm up; I also tossed in some pepperoni for a little bit of spice.

The pasta went into the salted boiling water, and I started on the cream sauce. A little butter, a little olive oil, and some flour started off a roux. I added a bit of 2% milk, so it wasn't completely unhealthy, a generous amount of salt, pepper, and garlic and herb seasoning.

When the cream sauce got thick, I dumped the chopped broccolini in with the pasta to heat it through. After draining the pasta, I mixed everything together and was more than pleasantly surprised at how good the dish tasted.

I called it leftover dinner mess because it looked like a big mess in a bowl!

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Under the impression we might have company for dinner, I decided to make a roast beef for dinner. The days are back to being a bit cool (IT WAS SNOWING TODAY) and a nice hot meal was just what was needed. I served it up with baked sweet potato and steamed broccolini. (Company never came.)

The roast went into the oven at 325 for just over an hour and a half. It was a 4lb roast, so it was a little over 20 minutes a pound. While still tender and tasty, it ended up being a bit tougher and over cooked for my taste. I poked several holes into the roast, filling each one with a small clove of garlic; sprinkled the top with salt, pepper, and a dusting of flour. The flour mixes with the melted fat and creates a beautiful crust.

The sweet potatoes were rubbed down with olive oil and baked with the roast. Normally sweet potatoes take about an hour at 425, but since the temp was a bit lower, the longer time was necessary. Since they were so huge, Jeremy and I split one. The two leftovers will be used somehow for dinner tomorrow night. The broccolini was simply steamed, with plenty left over for dinner tomorrow night as well.

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On a different note, I spent several hours yesterday taking the hard drive out of my old computer and placing it in Jeremy's parent's computer and getting all of my photos and music off of it. That felt so good, as I was extremely scared I had lost all of those photos!

Friday, April 03, 2009

Today I signed up for one of my summertime goals. Being a native Vermonter, I would like to be able to say I have visited every town in the state. Some of these towns I have already visited, but would like to take on the challenge of visiting all 251 this summer and documenting it through pictures.

If you would care to join me for a day, please let me know! I will be biking, hiking, driving, and walking depending on the day and location.